CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – If I was invited to an event at the White House, I’d go. Even if I didn’t like the current occupant, I’d RSVP in a minute to attend the White House Distinguished Radio Broadcasters Roundtable, or a summit on model trains or horse racing enthusiasts. I would find such a day in Washington irresistible.
So does Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg. In January she attended a lead pipe removal event at the White House. She had lots of company from Wisconsin. Kenosha, Sheboygan, Madison, Milwaukee, Manitowac and Edgerton all sent reprensetatives.
I’d like to know what happened on the sidelines of the meetings.
Surely mayors from smaller cities know that forcing the costs of lead pipe removal onto homeowners would be expensive and unpopular. Who has an extra $10,000 lying around for a government mandated project. If your city has older housing stock, homeowners might rally to vote the mayor out of office.
Surely a Biden Administration soothsayer would have calmed those fears. ‘Don’t worry, federal grants will cover the costs. It’ll be free to the homeowners.’
Now, Mayor Katie is no dummy. She probably asked the next logical question after doing some quick math. 8,000 homes in Wausau have lead service lines. To get all of the lead out over a five year period, 6 homes a day would need to be done. That’s a lot. Who will do the work? Do we have that many plumbers and excavators to do it?
‘No problem,’ says the White House confidence man. ‘We know a company that applies for the federal grants, administers the program, and lines up the labor. Let me introduce you to Community Infrastructure Partners.’ The White House probably left out the part about CIP’s management team, and the substandard military housing and dormitory renovation projects they were involved in.
How else but through that type of introduction would our Mayor be connected with a company like Community Infrastructure Partners? How could they get a no-bid contract to do the work? How could they not fill out all the disclosure forms that other companies do when doing business with the city?
Suppose Wausau followed regular procedures and awarded the contact to someone else, hypothetically, ACME Pipe Removal. Would someone from the Biden Administration intervene? ‘You know, these federal grants are complicated. Make sure you pick someone who knows how to navigate the financials… so the work in your city doesn’t have any snags.’
The other participants at the White House’s lead pipe summit are all uber-liberal environmental groups and labor unions with members who are eager to do the work. They are all donors to Democratic party candidates and causes.
Mayor Rosenberg has yet to explain who introduced her to Community Infracture Partnerships, and how they became the preferred – and only – company in the running for this contract. This has all the fingerprints of a Washington-insider deal.
Chris Conley
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